Chapter : 2 THE BIRTH OF A HERO: THE SHAPING OF IDENTITY

'My mother's name is Pritha, which is why I am called Partha. My father Indra

gave me this jewelled crown. Thus, I came to be known as Kiriti. I was called

Dhananjaya when I conquered and won the wealth of all the kings in the

Rajasuya Yagna. My white horses were gifted to me by Agni. That is why I am

called Swetavahana.

I have never fought a battle by unfair means. That is why

my enemies call me Bhivatsu. I fight till the very end, until victory is mine and so

I am called Vijaya.

I am that same invincible warrior Bharatavarsha knows as

Arjuna.'

Uttara Kumara, the son of Virata, looked on in utter disbelief. His jaws

dropped as he saw the woman whom he knew as Brihannala transform herself

into the warrior Arjuna in the wink of an eye. The red sari fluttering in the air

now revealed a muscular chest. As Arjuna looked up, shedding the disguise of

Brihannala, the shape of a man's face showed up in the first rays of the rising

sun. The braided hair decked up in ribbons was now loosening up. Arjuna then

tied his long, windswept hair with a white cloth. His leonine eyes shone like an

arrested flame. A chiselled chin and sharp nose were unmistakeable parts of his

rugged, manly appearance. Arjuna had now come out of his disguise after his

long exile. Uttara Kumara had known the same Arjuna as his court dancer, who

put on coy looks and exhibited exaggerated feminine gestures. Arjuna's words

now pierced him like arrows:

'Now, that you have heard my many names Uttara, know that I am here to

fight for you against the entire Kaurava army who have gathered in front of

you.'

Arjuna's hands were long and muscular. The scars on his powerful shoulders

were mementoes from the many battles that he had fought. The pulse on his wrist

throbbed and blood swept in and swept out of his blue veins as he itched to take

on his opponents. When he walked towards his chariot, the earth echoed with the firm throb of his footsteps.

With Uttara as his charioteer, Arjuna moved furiously toward the battlefield.

He blew his conch, the Devdatta. With his famous bow Gandiva in his hand, he

rushed towards the Kaurava army, which was led by warriors like Karna,

Bhishma, Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Drona and Kripacharya. Two arrows

from Arjuna landed at the feet of Drona.

Then, Kripacharya and Bhishma were

also greeted with two arrows each at their feet. This was Arjuna's gesture of

respect to his mentor and his gurus. His teachers, now his adversaries, were

pleased with Arjuna's unfailing humility. Soon a set of arrows whizzed past the

ears of Drona and Bhishma. Thus, Arjuna announced the beginning of the battle.

The arrows left Arjuna's bow in the flash of an eye. The string of his Gandiva

hummed tirelessly as if a thousand bees were buzzing together. Arjuna fell upon

his enemies as a ball of fire falls upon a heap of cotton. He scorched, devastated

and wrought havoc upon the Kauravas. But at the back of his mind lurked the

thought that even if he could, he would not want to kill his own teachers.

After he had scattered Bhishma's crescent formation all over the battlefield,

Arjuna thought it was time to invoke the Sammohana Astra, a weapon that had

the power to cast a spell on his enemies. Prince Uttara's eyes almost popped out

as Arjuna unleashed the Sammohana. He saw the entire army of the Kauravas

fall into a trance. Arjuna then asked Uttara to remove the upper garments and

the mantles from the heads of his adversaries as tokens of victory. Uttara

obediently removed the yellow silk dress as well as all the jewels from the mantle

of the mighty Karna.

He thought his sister would like it as a gift. Thereafter, he

took away the silk white upper garment of Kripacharya. Finally, he took off the

blue shawl of Ashwatthama and brought all the spoils of the war to Arjuna. This

was the warrior's way of asserting his victory by stripping his enemies of their

honour.

Arjuna then saluted a half-awake Bhishma from a distance, turned away

from the battlefield and rode with Prince Uttara into the sunset.